Man City away Sunday 23rd Feb 430pm

[SB]

After an unexpected draw with Villa this is a must win IMO as we don’t want to give Arsenal a sniff that we’re faltering.

I have no confidence in either fullback at present but Bradley being out cuts our options down.

Macca looked shagged for most of the 2nd half & is running on empty but what options do we have?

Hopefully Gakpo is back

[BigChief]

We cannot play Macca and Grav together anymore. They need a break in alternate games. Jones and Endo have to be used more. Even Elliot as sub.

[Tatterdemalion]

It's not a must win game in my opinion, as the stretch of (premier league) games we have coming after is substantially easier (Everton at home is probably our hardest) but certainly 3 points would help morale.

For instance, after our City game and before May, Arsenal have 5 away games to our 2.

[Sus]

Is Bradley definitely out?

[Doc_Piptorious]

It's not a must win game in my opinion, as the stretch of (premier league) games we have coming after is substantially easier (Everton at home is probably our hardest) but certainly 3 points would help morale.

For instance, after our City game and before May, Arsenal have 5 away games to our 2.

Would agree with that.


Villa away is a tough game. City away is even tougher.


Think some games we need to look at on their own merits and not look at them in terms of what result we think is needed.


We come away from the City game being able to add to our points tally and the result is a good one.

We are going through a period at the moment where we look a bit tired/ragged in league games, but we are still doing what good teams do in getting points when not at your best.

Just had a look at our last ten league games.

Six wins and four draws.

Three of the four draws were away games to Villa, Everton and Notts Forest.

Nobody can tell me that any of those three games should have been walkovers for us.


The fourth draw was against the Red Mancs at Anfield. Like the derby game with Everton, the games against the Mancs can be when any league form goes out the window.

So our poor run of form gave us twenty two points from a possible thirty or 2.2 points per game.

If our form for the remaining twelve games drops even further and hits say 2 ppg for those games, that still probably would be enough to win the title unless Arsenal win almost every one of their remaining games. They would need to win twelve out of thirteen (almost 2.7 ppg) to overtake us on 2 ppg.

[BigChief]

That's a good summary doc. Now just transport me back to the future so I don't have to live through it.

[S-RED]

If our form for the remaining twelve games drops even further and hits say 2 ppg for those games, that still probably would be enough to win the title unless Arsenal win almost every one of their remaining games. They would need to win twelve out of thirteen (almost 2.7 ppg) to overtake us on 2 ppg.

Something gives when we play Arsenal, anything but a loss & hopefully we are in the bocx seat; but lots of minutes to play beforehand...

[SB]

Come on guys City have leaked goals all season & have been beaten by lesser sides than us. We need a confidence booster & this is it.

[Kenneth]

Watching the Madrid highlights, their defending last night was bad, and Stones went off injured. I highly doubt we can stop them scoring but we will get chances and have to take them.

[danperkins]

Come on guys City have leaked goals all season & have been beaten by lesser sides than us. We need a confidence booster & this is it.

they have been atrocious defensively & they are so slow in the midfield. If ever there was a time to play them, this is it. We just need to more clinical that we have of late, not just relying on Mo to win us the game would be nice. Slot saying Gakpo hasn't trained with the team yet so he's not sure if he'll start, big loss if he isn't fit. Sure to be goals in this one me thinks.

[Doc_Piptorious]

they have been atrocious defensively & they are so slow in the midfield. If ever there was a time to play them, this is it. We just need to more clinical that we have of late, not just relying on Mo to win us the game would be nice. Slot saying Gakpo hasn't trained with the team yet so he's not sure if he'll start, big loss if he isn't fit. Sure to be goals in this one me thinks.

The time to play them was when we last did, as in when the wheels were well and truly falling off.


Just had a peep at their league form since Xmas day.

Played 8. Won 5, drew 2, lost 1.

Goals for - 23 (6 vs Ipswich, 4 vs Newcastle, 4 vs West Ham, 3 vs Chelsea)

Goals against -10 (but 5 of those were in the game against Arsenal)


Also their home form is not bad at all. Played 12, won 8, drew 2, lost 2.


Think we need to treat it as if we are going against them at their very best and be up for it as such.


The way they have been scoring since Xmas is eyecatching plus they rested a number of players against Real last night, no doubt with the game against us in mind.

[Sus]

Who did they rest last night? Haaland?

[Doc_Piptorious]

Who did they rest last night? Haaland?

Haaland, KDB, Grealish, Ake ( think they have a habit of playing him against us) and Lewis.

[Buzzo]

I’d take a draw. I’d not celebrate it but it’s acceptable as a result away against the previous champions.

Be great if Arsenal **** up ahead of it. Pressure is massively on them also.

[Sus]

Haaland, KDB, Grealish, Ake ( think they have a habit of playing him against us) and Lewis.

Hmm I didn’t realise that. Was hoping they would put all their eggs into the Real Madrid basket